Hi there! So, what exactly are these “zero volume” keywords anyway? According to SEO tools, zero volume keywords have a monthly search volume of zero. Many people consider anything under 100 searches per month to be low or zero volume. But here’s the kicker: these reported volumes are often inaccurate. In fact, real search volumes can be much higher than reported.
Why Should You Care About Zero Volume Keywords?
These seemingly insignificant keywords can be extremely valuable for a few key reasons:
- Less Competition: Low volume keywords tend to have significantly less competition. For example, trying to rank for “Pilates ring” is going to be tough because you are up against major players like Amazon. However, a long-tail keyword like “how to choose a Pilates ring,” might show a zero search volume but will have much less competition from other sites. The SEO difficulty will likely be lower, and you might even see lower domain authority sites ranking for it, which gives you a better chance to rank higher.
- More Specific, Higher Conversion Potential: Zero and low volume keywords are incredibly specific. While they may attract fewer visitors, they attract people who are much more likely to convert, whether that’s signing up for an email list, buying an affiliate product, or becoming a paying customer. Someone searching “how to choose a Pilates ring” is likely very close to buying one. This gives you a perfect opportunity to offer affiliate recommendations.
- Hidden Traffic Goldmine: Many businesses focus on high-traffic, money-making keywords, leaving a lot of “low-hanging fruit” for the rest of us. This means you can easily tap into traffic that others are overlooking. You can see from my spreadsheet that I have dozens and dozens of zero volume keywords bringing in thousands of page views.
Unlock the Power of Long-Tail and Specific Keywords
Not all zero volume keywords are created equal. Some of them are truly zero, while others are just underreported. You need to know what to look for to find the gold. In general, a great zero volume keyword should be long-tail and specific. There are three main types of keywords I target:
1. In-Depth Question Keywords: Become the Authority
These keywords are questions that require a comprehensive answer. They may be harder to monetize directly, but they will help you establish yourself as an authority on your topic, and they are generally the easiest to rank for. Plus, they are great candidates for search enhancements like the “People Also Ask” section and Featured Snippets.
- Example: “How do I choose the best Pilates ring for home workouts?”
2. Monetizable Commercial Intent Keywords: Cash In On Ready-to-Buy Traffic
These keywords usually have commercial intent, and they’re prime opportunities for sales. These often include keywords with the word “best” in them, like “best ,” but they are very specific.
- Example: “best booty bands for glutes”. I was hoping to rank for “best booty bands,” but that keyword has more competition. I ended up on page one for “best booty bands for glutes,” which is still a win.
3. Trending Keywords: Get Ahead of the Curve
These are the trickiest, but also most exciting, because they can grow into high volume keywords. These might start as zero volume keywords and, over time, become very popular as the topic trends.
- Example: “ChatGPT fitness prompts” was a zero volume keyword when I first wrote about it. But with the rise of AI, the topic is trending and I was able to rank on page one immediately. Traffic has since grown from 4-5 views a day to 82 views a day, all organic Google traffic.
How to Find These Elusive Keywords (Without Breaking the Bank!)
You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive SEO tools to uncover these hidden gems. Here are a few affordable strategies I use:
Strategy 1: Keywords Everywhere Chrome Extension
This handy extension is very affordable at just $12 for 100,000 credits. It shows you the search volume of anything you Google.
- How to use it: Start by searching for a broad, higher-volume keyword. Then, look at the “related terms” and “long-tail terms” on the right-hand side. Click through those to see their search volume, and you can identify low volume, low-competition keywords.
- Pro Tip: Pair it with the MozBar Chrome extension to see the domain authority of the top-ranking sites. This can help you find keywords where the competition is weaker.
Strategy 2: Low Fruits
This is one of my favorite affordable tools, costing only $25 for 2,000 credits. It helps you hone in on those low-hanging fruit keywords.
- How to use it: Enter a broad keyword idea and run a report. Then, click “fetch volume” and sort results from low to high. Look for keywords with a lot of “fruits,” which indicate weak spots in the competition.
Strategy 3: ChatGPT with the “What’s Trending” Plugin
For this, you will need a ChatGPT Plus account, which costs $20 per month. But this opens up an amazing way to find trending topics in your niche.
- How to use it: Install the “What’s Trending” plugin (developed by Surge.ai) from the plugin store. Then, give it a command to generate a list of trending Google search topics in your niche.
- Example: “Please give me a list of 20 trending searches on Google in the dog niche”. This can generate results such as, ‘elevated dog bowls for small dogs’, and give the percentage of growth. This helps you identify a potentially trending topic that you can dig further into.
Strategy 4: Exploding Topics (Free Version)
This platform helps you find new and trending topics. I use the free version to identify trending topics that might have low competition.
- How to use it: Narrow down by category and limit it to the past six months to see what is new and trending. Look at what’s trending in your niche and see if you can identify a low-competition keyword to target.
- Example: For a fitness blog, I filtered for “Fitness” and “six months” to find trending products like mushroom gummies or trending topics like “weighted calisthenics”. A related low-competition keyword might be “how to start weighted calisthenics,” which has sites ranking with lower domain authority.
The Secret Ingredient: Killer Content (Powered by AI)
Finding the right keywords is only half the battle. You also need to write amazing content to rank for these keywords. Luckily, AI tools can help with this.
I love using AI tools like ChatGPT, Koala, and Jasper for writing blog posts. I also use Surfer SEO to optimize all of my blog posts.
- Remember: the specific process will vary based on which tool you use and what kind of blog post you’re writing.
- Tip: Check out the links in the description for videos explaining these processes.
Conclusion
Don’t make the same mistake as many other businesses by chasing only high-volume, highly competitive keywords. There’s a world of opportunity out there waiting for you in the low and zero volume keyword space. By targeting these specific and often overlooked keywords, you can drive significant traffic to your site, and convert those visitors into loyal customers. Use these simple strategies, and you will begin to see real results.
FAQs
Are zero volume keywords really zero? Not always! Many SEO tools underestimate search volumes. True search volumes are often much higher than reported. It’s more important to focus on finding keywords with low competition and high conversion potential.
Will I get enough traffic with zero volume keywords? Absolutely. The key is that you are targeting very specific keywords with high buyer intent. While they might not bring in as much traffic as a high-volume keyword, they will bring in more targeted, ready-to-convert traffic. Plus, the lower competition makes it easier to rank, and you can start to see results much faster. You can also target multiple zero-volume keywords to increase your overall traffic.
Do I really need to use paid tools? While I recommend them, you don’t have to. Start with the free versions and see if you like the results. If you find them helpful, consider investing in a paid version to see even better results. There are many ways to use the free options, especially when you get good at identifying low competition keywords.